Steven Lawson: The Glory of God

so my topic is the glory of god and what a topic this is so there is one passage that immediately flashes to my mind and it is a great doxology at the end of romans chapter 11. so i want to invite you to take your bible and turn with me to romans chapter 11. and my eye is on verse 36 though i'm going to begin reading in verse 33. whenever people ask me to sign a book or their bible i put my signature on it and i always put romans 11 36. it's just an anchor for my heart and for my soul so i want to begin by reading verses 33 to 36 but our focus will be upon 36 as paul has just in the first 11 chapters he has laid the greatest presentation of the salvation that is ours through the gospel of our lord and savior jesus christ and this is now the grand crescendo as paul has really made his case in what could be called his magnum opus his greatest writing it's the greatest writing anywhere in the entire bible on the doctrine of salvation and the gospel of god and he has ascended to the heights of of truth and as he approaches the mountain peak he says beginning in verse 33 as he looks back over the terrain of the truth that he has presented know the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of god how unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways for who has known the mind of the lord or who became his counselor or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again now here's our text for from him and through him and to him are all things to god be the glory forever amen in this last verse we see that the highest in for which all things exist is the glory of god nothing rises to a higher level of importance than the glory of god either we live for the glory of god or we do not live at all we merely exist the glory of god is primary everything else in life and in the universe is peripheral the glory of god is supreme and everything else is secondary god's glory must be the epicenter of our lives our highest purpose our chief end our ultimate reason for existence the glory of god is the sun around which the orbit of our lives must revolve this is precisely what we see as we come to our passage in verse 36 it is a doxology it is an anthem of of praise it is a a chorus of of worship that ascends upward to god as a result of the truths of the first 11 chapters of of romans and after giving the most comprehensive doctrinal teaching in the entire bible on the weighty truths of salvation paul cannot hold it in his heart any longer he he now bursts forth with worship that is fervent and exuberant paul is not a stoic believer he he does not have a stiff upper lip here he's not one of the frozen chosen he is not the bland leading the bland but possesses a heart that is on fire for god and there is a volcano of passion that is erupting upwards now in this sacrifice of praise that is that is being lifted up to the heights of heaven from whence this message has has come as we look at verse 36 and i want you to look at it with me very carefully it divides nicely into two halves sinclair ferguson once told me of alexander mclaren the great expositor the 19th century who had the the golden hammer and he could just tap a text and it would immediately break out into perfect parts so i have the golden hammer before you and as i tap this text there are two halves in the first half of the verse is what i want to call a god-centered theology from him through him to him are all things that is a towering transcendent theology and then the second half of the verse it is a god-centered doxology to him be the glory forever and ever amen it is the first half of the verse that causes the second half of the verse it is the truth of from him and through him and to him that provokes the worship to god be the glory forever and ever amen and it is only the high theology of from him through him to him are all things it is only that theology that ultimately produces this doxology and this devotion and this praise low theology produces low worship but a towering theology pulls us up to the heights of heaven and our our heart is is bursting with love and devotion for our god to segment this verse with two different headings that i that i really want to use the first half of the verse is what we want to call god's intrinsic glory the second half of the verse is ascribed glory and let me explain the theologians speak of the glory of god which is my topic under two main headings first there is the intrinsic glory of god and the intrinsic glory of god is the sum and the substance of all that god is and all that god does it is the the the holy being of god that is his intrinsic glory it is the sum of all his divine perfections it is the sum of all of the attributes of god it is the sum of all of the perfect works and and acts of almighty god all of that comprises the intrinsic glory of god the intrinsic glory of god is never increasing it is never decreasing god is the god who was who is who shall be forever we cannot give god intrinsic glory god is who god is from everlasting to everlasting you are god psalm 90 verse 2. that is the intrinsic glory of god and that is what we see here in the first half of the verse from him through him to him are all things and it is the the the acts of god that come forth from the being of god that belongs to god and god alone that's intrinsic glory then there's ascribed glory this is the glory that we are to give to god this is the glory that we are to ascribe to god this is the praise and the worship and and the honor that we are to to give to god we are to ascribe to him the glory and a ascribed glory is the result of beholding his intrinsic glory the more we understand who god is and what god has done and what god is doing and what god will do the more we will ascribe glory to god so that's what's going on in this verse so i want to begin in the first half of the verse with intrinsic glory you'll note there are three prepositional phrases from him and through him and to him are watch this all things this is the most comprehensive sentence ever pinned in the history of the world there is nothing that lies outside of the parameters of those three prepositional phrases in these three prepositional phrases here is the entire bible here is a complete systematic theology here is the history of the world here is the history of the entire universe here is a comprehensive complete christian worldview here is the lens through which we see everything else that is around us from him and through him and to him are all things nothing exists outside of those three prepositional phrases now let's just think about these prepositional phrases from him refers to eternity past through him refers to within time to him refers to eternity future and here we see the the span from eternity past throughout all of of time into and through the ages of eternity future to put it another way from him means that god is the source of all things through him means that god is the means of the accomplishment of all things and to him means that god is the goal and the completion of all things or to put it another way from him means that god is the architect of his eternal purpose and plan from before the foundation of the world he is the architect of this plan that includes everything that will ever come to pass through him means that god is the administrator of his eternal purpose and plan he is the executive administrator and he will bring to pass every detail of his plan and to him means that god is the consummation of all things he is the completer of all things he is the aim of of all things or to put it another way from him means from his sovereign will from before time began and through him means through his sovereign activity within time to bring to pass all that he purposed before time began and to him means to his sovereign glory and there are other verses in the new testament that say much the same first corinthians 8 and verse 6 says there is but one god the father from whom are all things and we exist for him and one lord jesus christ by whom all things by whom are all things and we exist through him that verse has says from him for him by him through him first corinthians 11 12 says something of the same it says all things originate from god in ephesians 4 verse 6 the bible says there is one god and father of all who is over all and through all and in all y'all colossians 1 16 for by him referring to christ here all things were created both in the heavens and on earth invisible visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through him and for him in hebrews 2 verse 10 could be added so let's walk through these three prepositional phrases it is critically important to your christian worldview it is critically important to your understanding of sound doctrine it is critically important for you to be an accurate theologian to understand these three prepositional phrases let's begin with the first it says from him are all things this points back to eternity past before anything was created god designed a master plan for time and eternity future and god is the author of what theologians refer to as his eternal decree which includes everything that will ever come to pass literally everything in the universe that will ever come to pass was scripted by god in his plan for time and eternity before the foundation of the world god designed his blueprint for all of creation for all of history for all of salvation for all of judgment and it involved individuals it involved nations it involved rulers it involved events it involved circumstances it involved destinies and outcomes it was all a part of this master plan it is acknowledged in scripture in acts 2 23 as the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of god in ephesians 1 verse 4 it says he chose us in him before the foundation of the world and in love he predestined us in second thessalonians 2 13 it says god has chosen you from the beginning for salvation many other passages speak to the same ephesians 2 10 titus 1 2 2 timothy 1 verse 5. so from god is this all comprehensive strategic blueprint master plan that includes everything that will come to pass nothing will ever occur except it was prescripted in god's plan now let's break down three categories of this plan first of all it involved creation in this plan was god's blueprint like the master architect and in this plan god set in his mind where all of the planets would be all of their orbits all of their rotations and in god's strategic planning there was all of the dimensions of the earth that it would be a sphere that it would hang in in mid-space it would be tilted on its axis it would be rotated it would be a certain distance from the earth to the sun and to the other planets god pre-designed what would be the heights of the mountains and the depth of the ocean and the flowing of the rivers and and the the borderline of the the coastlines all of that was designed by god the the infinite genius of almighty god and then that also included the angelic world and how he would create myriads and myriads of evangelic beings and the animal world of the the variety the diversity of of the animal world it was all in the in the genius of god and it was recorded in his eternal decree how everything would be and that included the human race and human beings that would be made in his image the intellect the emotions the will the the human body all of that was in the plan of god and not just creation but history everything that would ever come to pass both good and bad both large and small was scripted into god's plan it would involve nations the rising of empires the falling of empires the raising of rulers the removal of rulers it would concern individuals when in history they would be born what their gender would be what their iq would be what their hair what their facial complexion all of that in the master plan of god who your parents would be who would live next door to you who your teachers would be who you would ultimately marry who your children would be all of that prescripted by god the day of your birth the day of your death and and every day in between it was all a part of god's eternal decree it's all from him and then it also includes salvation that before the foundation of the world god chose his elect out from the entire human race based not upon anything that was seen in them to be of any merit or good but solely because god chose to set mercy upon some and god determined not only when they would be born in history but who it would be who would bring the gospel to them and where they would be when they would hear and receive the gospel and and all the steps that would lead up to that at that specific exact moment god had already predetermined what that would be and all of this in the sovereign plan of god nothing would ever occur but that it had been prescripted by god the fall of lucifer the fall of adam the depravity of the human race it's all part of the plan and though god is not the author of sin he is the author of his plan and purpose that does include sin and in the e in the infinite genius of almighty god god knew and understood that there would be greater glory given to him if there would be sin if there would be satan that he would redeem from the pit and rescue from the grave of sin those whom he chose and he would crown them with his grace and his forgiveness and dress them in the robes of righteousness and set them in heavenly places god knew from before time began that this would bring him greater glory and included in this in the infinite genius of god was the plan of salvation it was the gospel of god that before man ever fell before man ever sinned before the human race ever went astray god already had the solution that jesus was the lamb of god who was slain but from from before the foundation of the world all of this is from him he's the source he's the architect of all that comes to pass and second through him you see that for from him eternity passed and through him indicating within time what this means is that god will bring to pass all things that he planned in eternity future he is the executive administrator of his own purpose and plan there will be no deviation from his eternal purpose there will be no plan b there will be no plan c there will be no contingency plan there will be no alternate strategy there will be no backup course of action there will be no aborted scheme everything that is from god will be through god it will come to pass and all of this is included in the same three categories of creation as god planted in his mind so it came to pass and history as god mastermind the flow of of history god has brought it to pass and is bringing it to pass and salvation none of his elect will will fail to be brought to faith in christ not a one will be left behind there's no such thing as good luck or bad luck those are pagan concepts based in religious superstition there's no such thing as a random occurrence or blind fate or an accident or good karma or bad karma or the alignment of the stars having anything to do with anything that takes place here and we know that god causes all things to work together for good to those who love god to those who are called according to his purpose for those whom he foreknew he predestined that's eternity past and those whom he predestined he called and those whom he called he justified that's within time and those whom he justified he glorified that's in eternity future in romans 8 28-29 fits perfectly in these three prepositional phrases let me direct you to some verses i need to get you involved with your bible here i want you to turn to isaiah chapter 46. isaiah chapter 46 and i want to begin reading in in verse 8. isaiah 46 beginning in verse 8. i'm going to take us to several passages and i just want this to be in your mind he says remember this and be assured why would he say that because we tend to forget this we tend to take our eye off the ball and look at the circumstances and what appears to be chaos all around us and we lose sight of this eternal purpose and plan of of god so he says remember this and be assured recall it to mind you transgressors remember the former things long ago verse 9 for i am god and there is no other i am god and there is no one like me so we ask the question what distinguishes god as god next verse verse 10 declaring the end from the beginning so what that means is god stands at the very beginning of everything and he declares the end of everything before anything comes to pass he from standing at the beginning god goes all the way to the end and declares the end and what is implied and every subsequent step in between god stands before the beginning and declares it all and he says and from ancient times meaning long ago things which have not been done god has already predetermined the future notice what he says in verse 10 saying my purpose will be established and i will accomplish all my good pleasure not some of my good pleasure not most of my good pleasure i will accomplish all of my good pleasure because it is written and recorded in my eternal decree god will work his plan to the nth degree the end of verse 11. truly i have spoken truly i will bring it to pass i have planned it surely i will do it that is god god sets the course for everything this is his intrinsic glory this is who god is this is what god does that turn back to isaiah 14 just very quickly isaiah chapter 14 and verse 24. isaiah 14 and verse 24 the lord of hosts has sworn saying surely just as i have intended so it has happened and just as i have planned so it will stand look at verse 26 and 27 this is the plan designed against the whole earth and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations for the lord of hosts has planned and who can frustrate it and ask for his stretched out hand who can turn it back those are two rhetorical questions the answer of which is clearly implied no one can thwart or frustrate the sovereign will of god from before the foundation of the world and i turn back to the psalms to psalm 33. psalm 33 and verses 10 and 11. and these are two verses that that we must hear and take into account as we're considering this uh psalm 33 and verse 10 the lord nullifies the council of the nations whatever the all of the nations together collectively as though they would join together all of their forces and all of their their their intellect and all of their military might and economic power and and counsel among themselves the lord nullifies the council of the nations he he frustrates the plans of the peoples the council of the lord stands forever the plans of his heart from generation to generation that this is our god that this is who god is uh turn back to the book of proverbs or ahead to the book of proverbs in proverbs 16. and very quickly just to gather a few more verses here proverbs 16 verse 9 the man the mind of man plans his way but the lord directs his steps now the book of proverbs commends our making plans but ultimately it is god who overrides our plans so that his plan will come to pass down to the most minute detail look at verse 33 at the end of proverbs 16. the lot is cast into the lap but it's every decision it's from the lord somewhat like rolling the dice to determine what a decision would be and that was a practice in old testament times to cast lots but god is so micro managing the planet and god is so involved in every detail of human life and circumstances that the every turning up of the lot the invisible hand of god has turned it that way it's all according to the plan it's all according to the script and this is the intrinsic glory of god look at chapter 19 of proverbs in verse 21. proverbs 19 and and verse 21 we read many plans are in a man's heart but the counsel of the lord will stand it is ultimately our destiny that is in the hand of god and the way human circumstances unfold and come to pass it's all according to script in proverbs 20 and verse 24 we see how inscrutable this is for us these lines intersect far above our head and our understanding yet we must accept it by faith and know that is true in proverbs 20 verse 24 man's steps are ordained by the lord how then can man understand his way it's beyond our human comprehension when all is being laid out here how all of this comes to pass yet nevertheless it is true look at chapter 21 verse 1. this is a remarkable verse proverbs 21 verse 1 the king's heart and as this is an argument from the greater the lesser if god will so govern the king's heart how much more will he govern landowners and and and servants and blacksmiths and and and housemaids in an argument from the greater to the lesser the the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the lord he referring to the lord turns it wherever he wishes not only does he have the whole world in his hand he has the king's heart in his hand and he turns the king's heart however he so desires and the background on this verse is in ancient times there would be a river that would be flowing and there would be farmers off the banks of the river and they would channel water out of the river to flood their fields and they would set up a system of of of a maze-like complex in which they would have lanes that the water would flow and they would put down boards that would stop the flow of the water and turn it in another way and then they would lift up a board and allow water to go through and then put down a board and re-channel it in another direction such that the water from the river would go exactly where the farmer would want the water to go and god threw solomon here says that's exactly how i'm directing human history there is a flow of time that involves peoples and nations and hearts and god is directing even the king's heart in the direction he so desires matthew 10 29 says that there's not even not even a bird that falls from the air apart from the lord that our very the very hairs of our head are numbered as rc sproul has said there are no maverick molecules in the universe he he's micro managing the planet he's micromanaging the universe and then he says it's to him the third part of the prepositional phrase from him through him to him that points into eternity future and that indicates that all that god planned in eternity past will come to pass within time and it will extend into eternity future that he will bring all of his plans to completion he will never start anything and then walk off and abandon the project he will bring everything to history's grand crescendo everything that god planned and predestined will come back to him fulfilled this is mind-boggling that this is this is such an expansive view of the sovereign will and the intimate involvement of all mighty god to understand that nothing just happens that there's a purpose for everything like a thread in a oriental tapestry every thread plays its role and its part for what god is bringing to pass and he even makes the wrath of men to praise him and even what you meant for evil god means for good and god can draw a straight line with a crooked stick and god can use evil rulers to bring about his sovereign will for the good of his people and for the glory of his name this is the intrinsic glory of god and ultimately there is but one will in the universe that is ultimate and that is the will of god now this leads us to the second half of the verse which is ascribed glory and come back to romans 11 and verse 36 i'm not hearing enough pages turn don't make me beg romans 11 36 now here's the second half of the verse to him be the glory forever amen this is the only right response there can be to the truth of what we just walked through that from him through him and to him are all things such high doctrine can only lead to high praise and worship of god a theology is never an end in itself the goal of sound doctrine is not merely for us to be smart and to have our hands full of truth the purpose of sound doctrine is to transform our lives and to lead us into the worship of almighty god and that is how paul responds here this is the only possible response that there could be in paul it is the only possible response that there could be in my heart and in your heart this day is for us to rise up as a body of believers and to lift our voices to the heights of heaven and because from him and through him and to him are all things therefore i have to say to god be the glory forever amen so let's just ask a few diagnostic questions at the end of verse 11. number one who is to be glorified well it says to him be the glory we know who the hymn is it is the lord in verse 34. it is the god in verse 33 that's the antecedent it's god in verse 30. it is god in verse 29 it is god in verse 28 it is god in verse 23 it is god in verse 22 it is god in verse 21 it's just god god god god god to him be the glory it's not a shared glory god will not share his glory with another if from him and through him into him were most things then we could share in that glory with him we could sing a duet with god but if from him through him and to him are all things then all glory must go to god this does not say god and us to to god in us be the glory no it's to god and god alone isaiah 42 verse 8 just listen to it i am the lord that is my name i will not give my glory to another god is jealous for his own glory and we who understand and believe in the sovereignty of god to the to the nth degree to the ultimate level have more reason to give glory to god than others with a faulty theology that is man centered we have we who believe in the whole council of god and the whole purpose of god have have far more reason to give glory to god how could our hearts ever be lukewarm or apathetic knowing these truths and so who is to be glorified it is god alone we are to ascribe to god glory for how long should we give him glory oh notice our text to him be the glory the honor the praise the the worship the the adoration the the devotion the thanksgiving to him be the glory notice it says forever literally into the ages into all eternity future eternity will not be long enough to give god the proper praise that belongs to him it will take forever and will still never come to the end of the glory that we should be ascribing to god and to god alone so how should we respond well note the last word amen presbyterians amen amen it means it is true it means yes it means yes it is so it means yes yes a thousand times yes with an exclamation point there should be this affirmation within our heart and soul to rise up and ascribe honor and glory and and blessing to this god who has so orchestrated all of the details of of of time and history and providence and who is directing all things to to its appointed end and that nothing is deviating and nothing is is is causing god to have to change his plans or to augment the course of what he purposed from before the foundation of the world that this immutable god this eternal god is guiding history to its appointed end and the final destiny of every person and everything will find its completion and consummation with this god this is big god theology this is a breathtaking view of god and so i will give martin lloyd jones the last word as he taught through the book of romans on friday evenings at westminster chapel when he came to this text verse 36 when he came to the end of the message of this text lloyd jones said what does this amen mean it means that you confess that you are nothing that you confess that you are a vile hell deserving sinner that you acknowledge that you are what you are solely by the grace of god the man who says his amen lord jones writes and says is the man who says i am nothing god is all i owe all things to the grace and the glory and the mercy of god i give glory to him i say i am nothing i say it is all of god this is the ascribed glory that we must give to god as we see that he is working out his eternal purpose and plan based upon his intrinsic glory that belongs to him alone that he is god and there is no other and that god is directing all things to its appointed end let us give glory to this god let us pray father we hardly know how to respond [Music] this this truth that we have considered is so far beyond us the height the depth the breadth the length far surpasses us and it is good for us to look up and to see that you're upon your throne that there is nothing random there is nothing accidental that you are directing all things to its appointed end that you are causing all things to work together for your glory and for our good lord we can only respond with our feeble voice and say to god be the glory forever and ever amen

Channel: Ligonier Ministries

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Keywords: Reformed theology, biblical theology, what is reformed theology, Jesus Christ, faith, Pittsburgh conference, conference, Ligonier conference, Ligonier Ministries, Dr. Steven Lawson, soli deo gloria, how to glorify God, glorifying God, the purpose of Creation, the chief end of man, reformation, reformation principle, salvation, why does God save people, god's glory alone, sermon, steven lawson, steven j lawson, steven lawson sermons, steven lawson preaching, christian, christianity

Id: Q6qFTgVAWc0

Length: 48min 59sec (2939 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 25 2021